Akatsuki Rising
by FreezaBurn12
Summary: At the conclusion of the Third Shinibi World War, an organization called the Akatsuki sheds bloody tears and to live their lives as they see fit. And from this setting, we see the new life of Obito Uchiha, a disillusionised fallen hero, who would become the uneasy ally of the Akatsuki. The bane of Kages. And the enemy of Nations.
1. Chapter One: The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

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**Chapter One: The Beginning**

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**Land of Water**

_Rin. I have travelled to the Land of Water for a week now, safe and hiding amongst the shadows. But I am prepared for the worst. I have heard of rumors from the people of this land that the winter islands are overrun with Missing Ninjas and bandits, who seek opportunities during the war._

Obito Uchiha trudged across the heavy blanket of snow. His yellow-orange mask with black patterns shielded his scarred face against the blistering winds, while his thick hooded black cloak and indigo underside provided warmth against the raw snow.

The tranquil forest was swaddled in a veil of poltergeist-white mist. It was eerily silent and the reason was obvious. The deathly vapor didn't lick the cold forest floor, as the wind was known to do. The grass was covered with frost that had killed all the flowers and vegetation. The trees stood naked. The icy temperature touched the freezing point.

_When I set out from Amegakure two weeks ago, I did so with two purposes. One is to discover something that even the legendary Madara Uchiha did not. Before his death, he had told me of a temple amongst one of the many islands in the Land of Water, with presumably invaluable knowledge. The other is to find more answers. About you. Why you died at Kakashi's hands, when he promised to protect you._

He caught a glimpse of a large stone temple, isolated from the faraway villages that resided in these islands. Even in the thick mist, Obito could easily notice its shambled condition. Large stone columns lay on the snow, as well as fallen tree trunks that stayed motionless to gather snow.

Suddenly, a kunai whizzed across the ethereal mist, piercing the mist's fragile form with its tipped blade. Obito tilted his head to the side to face the kunai, as it simply phased throw his body, as if it had missed completely. The kunai thudded harmlessly into a nearby tree, and was embedded into the trunk.

He then saw several figures gather on top of a small cliff face. Despite the mist and snow, he could see what they looked like. They were dressed in striped material, which they wore around their wrists and legs that merge into their sandals. Underneath this, they wear a full-black shirt and pants over which they wear a standard grey flak jacket. Some also wore waist-guards.

_And soon, I found who had greeted me. A large band of Kirigakure bandits, eager to see what use I would provide to them. _

Two of the Kiri ninja leapt forward at the intruder, with kunai gripped tightly in their hands. However, Obito leapt forward as well, violently planting the soles of his feet into one of their chests before swiping the kunai in his hand. As the Kiri ninja's body fell lifelessly onto the soft snow, the other landed on his feet as he charged at Obito.

_This temple hasn't been on of the many homes for the ancestors of the Uchiha clan for centuries. Can I still claim it for myself?_

The masked Uchiha swiftly plunged the tip of the kunai into the man's chest, spurting out blood as Obito pulled the kunai out from his wound. The Kiri ninja clutched his chest as he fell to his knees and collapsed. A third ninja, armed with a katana lunged forward, only for Obito to grab the handle of the blade and slit his throat with the kunai.

Obito spun around with the katana held in his right, and the kunai in his left. The katana's blade to cut into the stomach of another ninja. He quickly sensed another attacker coming from behind. The attacker's blade harmlessly phased through Obito's body as he looked in shock. His surprise was cut short as the masked man grabbed his wrist and impaled him with his own blade.

Two more ninjas charged forward at Obito simultaneously on his left and right, attempting to catch him by surprise on both sides with their swords sticking forward to impale. Unfortunately, their coordinate attack failed miserably as the swords phased through Obito's body and stabbed each other.

_I miss you, Rin. I long to hear your sweet voice once more, to feel your touch over my wounds. But now, I have more questions than answers. Project Tsuki No Me, it is the only way I can reunite with you again. A perfect world where we can be together. I don't care whether you don't feel my love, but as long as you are happy, I am happy._

The young Uchiha nonchalantly stepped back and pushed their lifeless bodies away with a double elbow, before hurling his kunai at an incoming attacker. From behind, he quickly parried a fist from a large ninja with a jerk and pulled himself around and gives a mighty head butt that staggered the attacker. Obito then impaled the man's chest with the katana, before kicking him down to the snow.

Obito's arms sprouted out a pair of long wooden spears, just as he finishes off a Kiri ninja effortlessly by stabbing his neck. He then thrusts his right arm forward, piercing the heart of another opponent before elbowing another and brought the tip of his left spear onto the man's shoulder.

_This is why I have come here, to seek more wisdom left behind by the Rikudo Sennin. So that I may understand more to correct the purpose of this _hellish_ world. _

Obito saw one last Kiri ninja standing on his own. Unlike the others, he wore a larger flak jacket with the Kirigakure symbol on it. He also wore an Anbu mask, with his hair tied into a ponytail. He unsheathed his twin katanas from their holsters and leapt at Obito, who lunged forward as well.

Both combatants' weapons clashed with one another, parrying each other's attacks with great speed and agility. Suddenly, Obito phased through his opponent, who fell forward in surprise. He quickly seized the opportunity by driving his foot into his opponent's stomach, where he violently crashed into the snow.

As his defeated adversary struggled to get up to his feet, Obito planted his left foot down onto the man's chest, pinning him effectively. The Uchiha kneeled forward to look down at the man face to face.

"Why do you and your men reside in this island? What purpose do you have?" Obito questioned.

"Go…to Hell!" The man spat, his breathing becoming difficult under Obito's weight.

The man widened his eyes in fright as he saw through the eyehole of his captor's mask. He saw a red spiraling eye, with three tomoe in them. Suddenly, the man felt his masked ripped off from his hands, exposing his face to him. An overwhelming feeling took control of his mind, as his struggling arms flailed in vain.

"I repeat. Why were you here?" Obito glowered his eye.

This time, the man mindlessly answered. "My men and I headed to these islands as we have found a sacred artifact that might be able to help us turn the tide of this war… The artifact is on my neck." He then pointed to a small rectangular amulet draped over his neck. It was bronze in color, but had some gold plating with strange symbols on them.

"And another question, have you heard of a girl named Rin Nohara?" Obito asked again, this time, his voice building up in anger.

"Yes. Several of my comrades had captured that girl during our conflict. We sealed our Bijuu, the Sanbi into her, so that when she was rescued back to Konoha, we would be able to unleash it on the village."

Obito violently increased the pressure of his foot onto the man's chest, making his victim cough out blood in agony. "AND WHAT HAPPENED?!" Obito snarled, losing his composure.

"The White Fang's son…managed to rescue her…only because we allowed him to. But in order to keep them guessing, my comrades pursued them to Konoha. But then, I received reports that she was killed, and our entire troop was decimated." The man gurgled, a mixture of blood and drool trickled from his mouth.

Without restraint, Obito brought down his spears into the man's chest, spurting out blood everywhere. Obito ripped the amulet that the man was wearing from his neck as his head slumped back into the snow. This time, he will not get up.

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"Gentlemen, I present to you an amulet. I believe that it belongs to the Rikudo Sennin. Our 'so-called' temple was actually holding this key, although the location is hidden from us, we _will_ find it." Obito said as he held up the amulet.

He is now in Madara's old hideout, Mountain's Graveyard. As its name suggests, it is a large cavern where massive bones of giant animals lay. Inside, Obito examined the amulet, from its shape and size to the symbols embroided on it.

Zetsu walked up to his friend. "So, what do think that the real temple might contain?"

"**It could contain simply ancient knowledge left by the Sage. Or maybe one of his treasured tools, or an unknown weapon of mass destruction." **Zetsu's black half answered.

Obito continued, "It could be any of these things, or all of it. Whatever it is, it will be a large stepping stone to our plans."

"**But the only problem is the exact location of the temple. Not even I can find it. The Sage has truly hidden it from all of mankind. It could be hidden in one of the Five Great Countries."**

"Of course. But I'm sure that such ground to cover will take much more than just us. And that is why we need more help. Any update on Nagato?" Obito asked as he placed the amulet down onto the table.

"Afraid not. He hasn't shown up to our promised meeting place. Are you sure that he will come?" Zetsu's white half asked with doubt.

"He _will _come. I am confident that he will in time. I will observe his friends' "peace-keeping organization". That way, it will be much easier for me." Obito assured.

He picked up the amulet again and wore it around his neck, but tucked it under his cloak. He then quickly warped away, vanished into thin air.

/

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**End of Prologue**

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**I wanted to stop writing stories and just be a reader until this idea came to mind. I am also in need of a Beta to check on my writing. I will update this story about every Saturday-Sunday.**


	2. Chapter Two: The Raid

**I do not own Naruto.**

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**==Chapter Two: The Raid==**

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**Amegakure, Third Shinobi World War...**

Yahiko pushed open the wooden doors of the tavern, as he, Nagato and Konan enter. The endless rain had completely soaked their robes, and they seek a good place for shelter from the torrential downpour of their country.

The three of them sat down onto some bar stools facing the main table. Nagato surveyed his surroundings, his purple-spiraled eyes observing the tavern. There was no one else at the tavern, except for some domesticated chickens clucking around the floor. Every so often, a young boy would rush out from upstairs, throw a handful of small grains at the chickens, and run away giggling.

Nagato then saw a man sitting at the corner, wearing a large black cloak. The man's hood covered his face, so the young prodigy could not see who it was.

A large heavyset man walked out from the backdoor of the tavern. He wore identical robes similar to what Nagato and his friends were wearing. He also wore the headband of Amegakure on his forehead. The man's ebony pupils met Yahiko's azure blue ones. Yahiko nodded to the man, who responded by pulling out a stool from underneath the table and sat next to him.

"So Interu, how much did you find about them?" Yahiko asked, turning to his right to face the man.

"A lot. The enforcers in the main city are growing even bolder, more oppressive to the citizens than before." Interu replied, drumming his fingers onto the wooden surface of the table.

"Then we must act now," Yahiko said. "We have to let the people know that even during times of war, shinobi are not the only ones that are fighting."

Interu took out a small sachet from his robes and placed it onto the table. "The Kazekage of Sunagakure is trying to build up war funds by selling his powerful 'gold dust' to several countries. The Wind Feudal Lord was outsourcing his war funds to Konohagakure instead."

Yahiko picked up the sachet from the table and scrutinized it. Interu continued, "That is a sample from what I stole from a Suna soldier, but he mentioned that the main supply is at the docks. There's no doubt about it, Suna is smuggling gold dust for Hanzo. Hanzo's men will then impose taxes on the gold dust to gain more funds. I saw some of his men forcing citizens out of their homes, belongings taken away, for not paying enough taxes."

Nagato turned his head slightly behind him as he saw the hooded man behind them got up from his seat. The man slowly walked out of the tavern through the back door as Nagato curiously looked on, ignoring the ongoing conversation.

"Hanzo is probably making a mint from those taxes for himself, while his own people are cast out into the streets." Konan mused.

"It's not just Hanzo's men that are responsible for the smuggling of Suna's gold dust, but also the tax collectors. They are the ones who are distributing the gold dust to the citizens, whether they want it or not." Interu continued.

"So we must strike where the gold dust is mainly smuggled into the country; the docks." Yahiko concluded.

He then turned to Interu. "Go get some of our men and have them gather at the docks tonight. We need all the help we can get. If we stop the smuggling of gold dust into the country, not only can we cut off Hanzo's and Suna's funds, but also to rally support from the citizens who are oppressed by the tax collectors."

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**Later that evening...**

The fishing boats gave off an aroma of blood and guts of the fishermen's daily catch. The sailboats chattered among themselves as their masts clanged in the howling wind and downpour. The Ame Orphans and their little tight-knit group stand perched on the rooftops of Amegakure's docks. Below them, several Suna and Ame shinobi are busy gathering crates from the ships and placing them into caravans.

"Damnit, the place is very well-guarded." Yahiko grunted as he saw several Jonin-level shinobi stand guard at the ships.

"So that means we must eliminate the sentries before focusing our attention on the gold dust they're smuggling." Nagato replied.

"Then let's go." Yahiko said as he turned to three of their group. "You three go and rouse the citizens. We need to use the crowd's anger against the smuggling to our advantage."

The three nodded and jumped off the rooftop and scurried towards the main city. The rest of the group followed Yahiko across the rooftops, closer to where the sentries are being posted. As soon as they had arrived, they saw thirteen Jonin from Sunagakure patrolling the area. Before the guards would be able to react, the entire group had leapt forward from the rooftops at them. Even though the guards were mainly Jonin-level Shinobi, as sentries they were not well-equipped for such a sudden battle without the aid of reinforcements of the country's main forces. Within just a few seconds, all of the sentries were easily brought down as kunai were brought down into their throats.

Shortly after the last guard was eliminated, Nagato could hear the roaring chants and jeers behind. He turned around and saw a throng of crowds, all of whom were pumping their fists into the air. Even with the intensity of the storm, it could nothing to douse the anger of the citizens. They marched towards the docks where Yahiko and his group, just as the three members return, emerging from the bustling citizens.

Yahiko then guided his friends to largest cargo ship, where the main supply of gold dust is being distributed across the country. They strode across the gangplank, while the throng of citizens, man, woman and child, gather around the ships. Their angry jeers are then replaced with cheers, elated that someone is finally standing up against the oppression that they have long endured.

The group have begun to gather several of the crates that were laid out onto the deck. Suddenly, Interu caught sight of several Amegakure soldiers pushing their way through the crowds of citizens. They are armed with different weapons, ranging from katanas to wakizashi blades. "Reinforcements are arriving!" He cried out in alarm.

The rest of the clique could see them as well. It seems that gathering such a large crowd of angry citizens had put the soldiers on high alert. Yahiko gathered his two friends together. "We need to keep those bastards away from the ships while the rest dump the crates into the ocean."

Within a few moments, the docks of Amegakure soon became a battleground. Yahiko's group have now clashed violently against Hanzo's soldiers, to stall enough time for their comrades to dump every single crate of gold dust into the ocean. Solid steel clash with each other, sending of sparks upon impact. Paper Shuriken brutally finish off several enemies, hitting their marks.

Clapping his hands together, Nagato swiftly released a powerful gale of wind at his opponents, knocking them over like tenpins. The gust also increased the speed and velocity of Konan's paper shrunken, cutting down their overwhelming number of opponents with ease.

Yahiko brought down his katana onto the shoulder of the enemy ninja. Though the enemy was under the protection of a flak jacket, it was certainly not enough to defend himself from the glistening edge of the sword. Yahiko spun around just in time to intercept an incoming attack from behind, emitting a shower of sparks. Some of them leapt onto Yahiko's robe and set it aflame, but the torrential downpour was more than enough to douse the ambers.

Behind him, he could sense the whirring of metal piercing through the air. Without showing any signs of slowing down, Yahiko grabbed his assailant's neck and pulled him to shield himself, just in time for his helpless opponent to take the full brunt of a volley of shuriken. He quickly reached out at his human shield and plucked out a shuriken and hurled it at the direction where the shuriken came from.

The four-stared blade swiftly pierced through the chest of a Ame Shinobi, knocking him off his feet and stumbled off the side of the ledge and into the murky depths below.

Despite the heavy losses that they are suffering, Hanzo's men still fight on. Suddenly, Nagato raised his palm forward at the oncoming wave of persistent enemies. With a cry, a powerful gravitational force erupts from his palm, sending every single opponent blasting off their feet. Their bodies thudded violently to the stone ground, and lay motionless. With the last of the reinforcements subdued, the battle has been won.

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"We've done it!" Yahiko exclaimed as a smile curled up in his lips. He turned to the docks where he saw the crowds of people cheer for them. Their waved their arms wildly into the air, the intensity of the atmosphere increasing every second. Everyone started cheering with joy, thunderous claps from the crowd took place.

Just as Yahiko was about to walk down the gangplank, he felt a gentle hand hold onto his shoulder. He turned around and saw Konan. She then held out her other arm, with it, it was the sachet of gold dust that Interu had helped them steal earlier.

"I saved the last one for you." She said as she gave him a warm smile.

Yahiko gently took the sachet from her and returned the smile with his own. Walking to the side of the ship, he held out the last sachet of gold dust into the air triumphantly, showing it to everyone in the crowd for them to see. As the crowd saw the last sachet, the atmosphere became even more tense than before. Many began wondering why the last sachet was spared from sinking into the ocean floor. Ws it to keep as a souvenir? Or was it a reward for the work they've done?

Before anyone could continue guessing, Yahiko poised the sachet above the ocean. Tilting his hand sideways, his grip loosens and the sachet plummeted into the ocean. As soon as the sachet had hit the surface of the water, the crowd immediately burst into a rapturous applause for the 'freedom fighters'. Yahiko lowered his arm and relaxed. With Hanzo's smuggling scheme cut off, he would be unable to finance any war expeditions for now. That would also affect Sunagakure's funds as well. Not only that, the citizens are now encouraged to fight for themselves, and to be informed that they are not alone. Three birds with one stone.

Nagato suddenly felt an ominous presence lurking about. He turned to where he had felt it. It felt so familiar, like that he had encountered it before...

As he faced the direction of the mysterious presence, he saw three figures standing amongst the crowd. One of them on the left was wearing a black hooded cloak, underneath was a spiral-patterned face with a circular eye-hole. The second man on the left was grotesque-looking, with a pair of large Venus Flytrap-like extensions from the sides of his body. His face was half black and half white, with lime-green hair. The man in the middle was slightly shorter than the other two, yet seemed to resemble the first man more. He wore a light orange mask with black patterns on one side, with a small eye-hole on his right.

Even from such a distance and the constant, unending rain, Nagato could tell that the third man was eyeing him intently. After a few seconds, the man then patted the shoulder of the man on his left before walking away. The other two were quick to follow him, disappearing into the crowd.

Nagato nearly stumbled back just as someone had placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Yahiko behind him. "Nagato," he asked. "Is there something wrong?"

The red-haired man hesitated for a few moments before answering. "No... It's nothing."

/

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**End of Chapter One**

**That's the end of the second part of the story, I hope you enjoyed it. :) But I am eager to make this story more popular, but I guess you can't get popular in just one week... No worries, I'll continue updating every week, mostly on Saturdays. ;)**


	3. Chapter Three: Ascendance

**I do not own Naruto. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Sorry that I haven't updated for over three weeks. There were lots of tests and the upcoming end of year exams. But now that the holidays are here, I have enough time to write this chapter. I replaced the Chapter Three with a new one, since I don't think it will suit the storyline well. The second chapter was just filler for the story, to show that Obito still kept tabs on Nagato.**

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**===Chapter 3: Ascendance===**

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_Kirigakure, two years after the Third Shinobi World War…_

A young man, who looked like he was several years younger than he actually is, stands motionless at the summit of a tall building that towered over several others. Four Kiri Anbu encircled him, observing the sorroundings. His pink pupiless eyes gazed over the mist-enshrouded village, which cloaked the darkness that has plagued it for years.

Amongst the shadows of a nearby building, Obito Uchiha watched the figure of the Fourth Mizukage, who seemed oblivious of his presence. He now had grown long spiky hair that extended down to the back of his neck. He wore a dark blue open robe with crimson red accents along its back. He also wore a pale cream undershirt underneath his robe. His pants were colored pale grey, with dark brown shoes. There were two katana strapped to a red sash draped around his waist, with the hilts glistening in the heavy mist.

Obito silently stepped forward, with a slow and steady pace, towards Yagura who remained standing at the Mizukage building. Perched on top of other buildings, several Kirigakure Anbu spot Obito approaching the Mizukage, despite the thick blanket of mist. Two of them leapt in front of Obito, who casually ignored them.

The two Anbu lunged at the masked man, swords poised to slash at him, while the rest hurled a flurry of shuriken at the masked man. Suddenly, the two front attackers widened their eyes in shock as their bodies phased through Obito, as if he were a ghost. Their falling bodies were unfortunately caught in the barrage of shuriken thrown. Blood spattered everywhere as they tumbled to the floor.

Leaping towards the rooftop of the Mizukage's building, two black stakes emerged from Obito's wrists. His palms thrust forward as his body collided into two of the Mizukage's guards. The black stakes plunged through their vests with ease as their bodies fell back under Obito's weight.

The two remaining guards spun around to face the attacker, but it was too late. The masked man grabbed two of the daggers tucked inside his pouch and hurled them at the two guards, striking their chests dead on. The guards gurgled as they clutched the kunai in their chests before slumping onto the floor. Just as Obiti approached the Mizukage, several Anbu appeared and surrounded him.

"I knew that you would come." Yagura spoke, turning his calm gaze towards the intruder. "When I have heard that two different factions of my Anbu were decimated easily by a masked man, I had my doubts. But now I know that it was you."

Obito's Sharingan glared brightly in the mist at the Mizukage, who tightly gripped onto the staff-like pole attached to him. Yagura made sure that his eyes do not make contact with the Uchiha's, he knew that should he fall under their genjutsu, it will all be over.

"Fourth Mizukage…" Obito spoke darkly. "If you surrender yourself and your control over Kirigakure, its time of peace from the era of the Bloody Mist will rise."

Yagura widened his eyes in surprise. He knew how dangerous the masked man was, but not that foolish and bold to ask him such a question.

"I remember that you slaughtered a whole faction of Anbu who were just sworn to their duties. I remember that because of you we couldn't retrieve the Three-Tails, that we lost so many good men just to recapture it and seal it into me. It was a gamble, with so heavy losses, all because of you. Do you call that peace?" Yagura retorted.

Obito gripped both hilts of his katana tightly in anger, as an image of a young girl with brown hair flashed repeatedly in his mind.

The Mizukage continued, "Your words may be honeyed, but that does not make them true."

Obito loosened his grip on the katana, and sighed. "So be it, Mizukage. I held a peace offering of the pen, and you simply knocked it away from my hand." Performing a handseal, several roots sprouted from the ground and punctured through the Anbus' chests. They let ouy a cry of pain before the roots their bodies collasped to the floor. Blood oozed from the wounds. He gripped his katana and unsheathed it to point at Yagura's chest.

"Perhaps you shall respond better to the sword." Obito said darkly, his Sharingan quickly forming into a Mangekyo.

"Is that a threat?" Yagura glowered at the masked man, who towered over him.

"Yes."

Without warning, Yagura quickly leapt backwards onto a nearby building, a split second before Obito had swung his katana at him.

Obito leapt across the Mizukage building, his pair of katana poised to strike down his opponent. Suddenly, Yagura took out his staff and created a flat, circular pool of water that resembled a mirror. He hooked the staff to the water 'mirror', where a reflection of Obito burst out from the surface.

The masked man and his reflection collided into each other, with their swords clashing and knocking the masked man backwards. As soon as they make contact, however, the reflection quickly dissipated into water.

Pulling up his mask, Obito performed a tiger hand seal as he blew out a powerful stream of fire at Yagura. The Mizukage, however, also performed several handseals before a large vortex of water at the flames, which created a shroud of steam.

Seizing this opportunity, Obito quickly vanished, and emerged right behind Yagura, who was still scoping around to find his opponent. "Got you." Obito said darkly, as his hand reached out to make contacts with Yagura. If he could warp him to the Kamui dimension, the battle will be over quickly and decisively.

However, a large shrimp-like tail extended from Yagura's back and swiped at Obito, who phased through the attack in the nick of time. He retreated by jumping backwards.

"So, it is true. The Fourth Mizukage has complete control over the Three-Tails, even able to make a partial transformation." Obito mused. "This is going to be much more troublesome than I thought it would be."

Suddenly, a dark red and black layer of chakra enveloped Yagura, as well as two more tails appearing. He had now entered version 2. He let out a bellowing roar and lunged at Obito, who narrowly dodged the attack.

A sharp and excruciating pan ran up from his back and up to his skull. The pain him gasp, taking his breath away. "Damn it… Not now." Obito cursed. He hadn't fully recovered from his battle with Minato during the Nine-Tail's attack. He had mistaken that Hashirama's cells could heal him from wounds such as these.

Seeing Obito caught off guard, Yagura quickly lunged forward and swiped his arm at Obito, sending him flying across the village. The masked man cringed as he violently crashed into another building, causing him to fall of the tumble to the ground below.

Obito clutched his left arm in pain as he staggered to his feet. Yagura crashed to the ground on all four limbs. He let out another roar before darting forward to attack the masked man.

"**Fire Release: Chaotic Dance of the Storm.**" Obito performed another hand seal and released a powerful stream of flames, this time, using his Kamui to shape it into a powerful vortex.

However, Yagura fired two large water spheres from his mouth towards the spiraling vortex of fire. Both attacks collided, and like before, created another shroud of steam. Yagura leapt forward towards Obito, swinging his arm at the masked man.

Obito leapt into the air, dodging the attack a second time. Using Kamui once more, he ejected a barrage of chakra receivers from the Kamui dimension at Yagura. The Three-Tails jinchuuriki narrowly avoided some of them, but was eventually overwhelmed by the onslaught of attacks.

Seven chakra receivers violently plunged down into the arms, legs, and the three tails of Yagura, effectively pinning him down. Though he struggled violently, he is unable to break free from the restraints.

Walking towards his restrained quarry, Obito raised his palm and several large roots emerged from the ground and coiled around Yagura's limbs and neck. Within a few seconds, the layer of red and black chakra slowly dissipated, revealing Yagura, who remained pinned to the ground.

"It's over." Obito said, his Mangekyo Sharingan flashing dangerously. "You and your village are mine to control…"

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_Mountain's Graveyard, a few hours later…_

Wrapping his body and left arm in gauze, Obito put a dark blue kimono over him and sat down onto a chair. Streaks of electric pain shot across his left body, but it quickly subsided. He then took a deep breath.

"That fight did more damage than I thought it would have." Obito mused to himself, remembering how he was struck violently by Minato's rasengan several months ago. That prevented him from making him earn a quick victory without alerting the people of Kirigakure. Fortunately, he was able to place a genjutsu on Yagura and gain control of him.

When the guards arrived, he manipulated Yagura into saying that a member of the Seven Swordsmen had defected and launched an assassination attempt on him. With that, seeds of mistrust will continue to grow, and all suspicion will be removed from him.

Zetsu emerged from the wall and walked towards Obito. "**I see that you ran into quite a spot of trouble with the Mizukage**… but at least you got him under your thrall, Obito."

Obito sighed and removed his mask, revealing his scarred face. He managed to find a replacement for his left eye, so that it won't handicap his vision. But he still hadn't gotten accustomed to it yet, so it will take time.

"And what of Nagato? He should have found a way to regain his movement via the Six Paths by now." Obito ignored his comrade's comment and instead asked another question.

"He managed to do it. **Now he's waging a civil war against Hanzo in Amegakure.** Tobi's keeping tabs on him for us now."

"A civil war? I'm sure that with Hanzo's strict regime, he does not have as much supporters as he used to." Obito shook his head. Although Nagato had decimated much of Hanzo's men, his supporters dwarfed in number compared to Hanzo's military.

Getting up to his feet, Obito walked out of the hideout. "I'm going to meet up with Tobi at Amegakure in a week or two, but for now, I need to focus on monopolizing my control over Kirigakure. Kirigakure is still a powerful military state, so it is an important asset to us. But even more importantly, the era of the Bloody Mist is the ideal time to find those who are interested in my cause."

/

* * *

/

_Kirigakure, one week later…_

"Are you actually serious?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked, his voice full of skeptism.

Obito raised his hands out. "Yes… This is my plan. Project Tsuki no Me. I can promise you a world of no lies and betrayal."

Kisame could not help but let out a grin. _A world without lies or betrayal…_

Obito once again spoke. "I have watched you through the Fourth Mizukage. You have proven to me that you are a loyal disciple-to serve me unerringly. You shall be able to share in our knowledge and reap all the benefits such a gift implies. There is an organization called the Akatsuki in Amegakure, join them, and you shall use them to bring our plan closer to fruition."

Kisame nodded without hesitation. _All he has to do is to join this organization in a third-world country, and this Project Tsuki no Me will eventually be accomplished? It all seemed too easy… _The young Uchiha then motioned Kisame to stand closer, which the new Swordsman of the mist followed.

"Kisame Hoshigaki…. Do you swear to uphold the principles of my order, and all of which I stand for?"

"I do."

"And never to share our secrets nor divulge the true nature of our work to anyone else, even to the leader of the Akatsuki or other of your comrades outside our cause?"

"I do."

"And do you serve now until death-whatever the cost?"

"I do."

Obito nodded and placed his arms on Kisame's shoulders. "Excellent. We now welcome you into our fold, and together, we will usher in the dawn of a new world. One with true purpose, truth, and complete law and order. Give me your left hand."

Kisame held out his left hand, which Obito held. The Uchiha took out a ring with a 南 symbol on its yellow circle, and inserted it into Kisame's ring finger. "You…are now a member of the Akatsuki."

/

* * *

**End of Chapter 3.**

**I will probably update after my exams, which will end around this month. So don't expect to get a new chapter anytime soon.**


	4. Chapter Four: Ambush

**I do not own Naruto. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media and Shonen Jump.**

**AN: I won't update next week as I have upcoming exams, as I said before. But don't worry. Once they're over, I will update again!**

* * *

**/**

**===Chapter Four: Ambush===**

* * *

**/**

_Amegakure, One week later..._

The torrential rain hammered down onto Obito's hair. He still wore his flame-patterned mask, and his outfit that he wore during his fight with Yagura, clean of any bloodstains. He still had his weapons attached to his outfit. This was the third time he had been to the village, yet it all seemed alien to him. The harbor is no longer thronged with both shinobi and citizens alike. All that remained were a few shinobi and some sailors and traders. The fishing boats, frigates and schooners swayed moderately in the wind.

To some of the people that saw Obito, he was a complete mystery. Some believe that he is a spy from another country, but they do not have the courage to report to any shinobi under Hanzo's regime. There was complete lack in faith in his government for years, even before the Second Shinobi World War. Others thought that this masked man was simply a traveler, to seek refuge from other countries affected by the atrocities of war. If someone asks him, Obito would simply push them aside, or he would reply that he is here to 'make business', to see if he could improve life here.

A lie of course, but not entirely false. Though he was here for a specific person, it would eventually benefit the pitiful holdings of this country. The resolve of the people may have weakened greatly, they were somewhat fueled by an indomitable spirit. People have started to tire of the heavy taxes imposed on Hanzo's government so that he could fight and conquer.

"Obito." A high-pitched yet jovial voice called out in the dark.

The figure then emerged from the shadows, revealing himself. It was Tobi, who decided to give himself a name after his friend. He still looked the same as ever, as he never experienced body growth like regular humans.

"You shouldn't call me by my name." Chastised the masked man.

Suddenly, Tobi began wavering to the crowd and screamed cheerfully. "This man's name is Obito, people!"

The crows never responded, instead they just carried on to their daily business. Tobi turned back to his friend. "See, nobody cares." He said.

"I don't care about my name either, it means nothing to me." Obito said darkly. "But I am more concerned that people can trace all my crimes to me, thanks to your motormouth."

Tobi simply shrugged it off and turned his attention to Obito's mask and hood. "Nice mask," he grinned, though no expression can be shown. "What are you supposed to look like, a spy?"

"What have you learnt so far?" Obito simply asked, ignoring Tobi's remark with disdain.

"There is a general that encamps his soldiers in this part of the city. He was assigned to recruit people for Hanzo's troops, since he had lost many of them to Nagato." Tobi whispered, his tone becoming slightly more serious, but still jovial to at the least. "His name is Watanabe Kokei. He is an important source of information."

"Very well." Obito said. "I need that information. It is important for Nagato to know of it, that I can gain his trust. Well, he does trust me, but not that _girl_ of his." He finished with some disdain in his voice.

He then turned back to Tobi. "Very good, the sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can get out of this cold."

* * *

/

The two men found themselves at a military encampment in the southern district of the village, where several Ame shinobi diligently patrolled the entrance. Inside, they could the condition of the camp. A cart entered into the camp, as the sentry stepped aside to let it in. Tents were dotted in linear positions, where in the center was a sheltered fire, tended by a small group of ragged children, brewing a large pot of stew. The adults loaded crates of supplies onto the cart, with a jonin watching over them. No doubt that these men, women and children worked for these soldiers simply to get an extra bit of coin, no matter the cost. It was things like these that made Obito understand just how cruel this world could be.

Looking around, it seems that this disciplined hive of industry as an odd feeling. There was an air of resentment that drifted over the camp: the soldiers did their duties begrudgingly with no sense of pride in their headbands, showing how even they have suffered under their leader's brutality.

Gazing into the camp, he could see a large heavyset man striding out from his tent. He had an ugly, craggy face, with small scars below his eyes and nose. He was noticeably taller than several of the shinobi at the camp, wearing a jonin vest decorated with gold symbols, signifying his seeming superiority over the others. The man began gesturing impatiently to a jonin, who quickly scuttled off to gather several other chuunin and jonin. The men then lined up in a rectangular formation, with the man in the lead. As they marched past the entrance, the civilians and other less-experienced shinobi promptly darted out of the way.

"That man is Watanabe Kokei." Tobi whispered to Obito, as they hid on the low hanging branches of a withered tree. The patrol moved their way past the camp and towards the outskirts of the city.

Leaping down from the tree, Obito then gestured to his friend. "Come along."

The two men silently stalked Watanabe's patrol, staying more than several meters behind them, swiftly ducking behind any object every time the patrol turned around to ensure that no one's following them.

Obito could hear Watanabe talking to one of his subordinates. "Where shall we head to?"

"Perhaps to the other part of the southern district?" replied the man.

"I don't think so." Watanabe curtly replied. "The residents there are wealthy. Their children and more than content, with days untroubled."

"What of the central or the Eastern part of the village, where the markets are?"

"Ah, yes." Watanabe smiled with satisfaction, "Those poor lot have suffered too much from the wars. They would be more than cooperative if they are able to gain more money to live better, and to feed their young."

The patrol then headed towards the market. Throngs of people scuttled out of their way, lest they incur a shinobi's wrath. As Obito and Tobi continue to stalk the patrol from behind, blending into the crowd along the way, they noticed that Watanabe had approached a small market stall. His menacing face quickly contorted into that as if he were inviting you for dinner. "How is business, my friend?" he asked the stall owner in a comforting voice. "You seem quite troubled."

The stall owner gloomily replied, "Business has been rather poor as of late. Not many people have been able to afford any of my food products. The war has deprived all of us of money."

Watanabe clapped his hands together in glee before placing them onto the shoulders of the stall owner. "I have the solution to your problems. Amegakure is soon descending into a civil war, threatened by those who destroy everything in their path. Hanzo-sama has commissioned men like me to help recruit the best civillians and business men to support us in his endeavors! You will be rich: you can get a better stall, you can feed your family!"

"I accept!" exclaimed the poor, gullible stall owner.

Watanabe's men began approaching other civilians and they began to converse with the same words that Watanabe had used. As for the general himself, he had walked off and stood on top of one of the stall's roof, gathering the attention of other citizens.

"Citizens of Amegakure, hear me out!" he announced. "Our noble leader, Hanzo of the Salamander has given us news of our need for loyal followers. Terrorists have began to plague our beloved village with their malice! If you want to save your lives, your belongings, and your families, join us! Not just as soldiers, but as workers to supply us with food, clothing and weapons! And you all shall be well-rewarded!"

The citizens were unsure of this news. Some simply shrugged their shoulders and quickly scurried away from the market, before one of Watanbe's men would try and force them to join. Others began conversing with one another, deciding whether or not they should join. They had heard news of this 'terrorist' group, yet they also heard that they had helped relieve them of heavy taxes imposed by Amegakure's government.

Obito whispered to Tobi, "Once Watanabe's patrol has regrouped, you will lure them into one of the alleyways, where we will ambush them, and interrogate the general. Understood?"

The spiraled-face creature enthusiastically nodded. _This is going to be fun. _He thought with glee.

Once the patrol has finished with their duties, they began regrouping into their rectangular formation and marched off, likely to find more gullible people to trick or coerce into joining them.

"NOW!" Obito exclaimed to his partner, who darted towards Watanabe's patrol. With lightning speed, he intercepted the patrol, who halted in a disorganized manner.

Tobi began to shout, waving his arms wildly like a madman, since he looked like one. Citizens began to stare at him as well, either out of interest or curiosity. "YOU AME SHINOBI ARE JUST LIARS AND CROOKS! THIEVES AND SCOUNDRELS! YOU SAY THAT HANZO WILL LEAD US INTO PROSPERITY, YET HERE WE ARE, LICKING THE DIRT LIKE ANIMALS! ALL WE GET ARE MORE DEATHS AND MORE MONEY TO PAY YOU HOGS! I'VE NEVER SEEN A MAN TAKE A POO IN MY LIFE, BUT I CAN SAY FOR SURE THAT YOUR FALSE PROMISES, YOUR FAKE PURSES ARE WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR ASSES!"

The shinobi looked at one another, their faces were expressions of curiosity, disbelief and even humor. Watanbe just looked on with amusement, not sure what to make of this madman. Suddenly, Tobi grabbed a handful of soggy mud in his hand and hurled it at the patrol. "DAMN YOU AND YOUR FAKE CIVIL WAR!" He added.

The piece of mud that Tobi had thrown had hit the right mark-Watanabe's face. The mud slowly slid off his face and back onto the ground, exposing his expression. Not out of amusement, not out of curiosity, but of pure rage. "AFTER HIM!" He shrieked as he and his patrol ran after Tobi, who spun around and darted left into an alleyway.

Obito saw the scene from afar, and could not help but roll his eyes. After spending so much time with Tobi, none of his antics would surprise him. But this was just plain ridiculous.

* * *

/

Tobi grunted as Watanabe grabbed his robes and slammed him into a brick wall. The generals eyes were blazing with fury, and soggy mud. Tobi simply waved his hand in front of his face in a disgusted manner. "Pee-yew!" he cried out in disgust. "And you smell like poo too!"

Watanabe let out a roar of hatred and unsheathed a kunai from his flak jacket, when Obito called out to him. "Let my friend go, Watanabe."

Hanzo's general and his men turned around to face the one who would dare treat him with disrespect. "Who are you?" He snarled furiously. "I will not have my own authority challenged in front of my own subordinates!"

"Not will I." Obito replied darkly.

"Heh, do you think that I'm afraid of a nobody?" He gloated.

"I am a nobody, like we all are. But you should fear me regardless..."

"Put these fools into the gallows." Watanabe snarled as he performed several hand seals, as he released a violent wave of water from his mouth. "**Water Release: Large Projectile**!"

The attack simply phased through Obito, who quickly unsheathed one of his katana and ran through the nearest shinobi in a trice. Another shinobi attempted to attack him. But Tobi had already reached for him before Obito did, a large wooden appendage piercing the man's torso with ease, spurting out some blood. Obito spun on his heel and flashed down his katana onto the arm of a third man who had attempted to attack from behind. The blow did not slice through the man's arm, but it was enough to cut through the flesh. The man screamed in agony before he collapsed to the ground.

Obito unsheathed his second katana and plunged it deep into the torso of an unfortunate attacker, who did not even have the opportunity to react. A large root emerged from his wrist which coiled around the attacker's neck before tossing him away into the dirt. Obito turned and saw Tobi kicking a man away before finishing another off with a few confident blows.

Within a few seconds, the fight was already over. Watanabe was lying against the wall, cowering in fear, stammering and heaving. This cowardly act disgusted Obito. This man had oppressed innocents, yet he had the gall to show such cowardice at the face of danger. With little effort, Obito unsheathed his weapons and hoisted Watanabe up by the throat. "Now, what has your master instructed you to do? It has to be more than just recruiting civilians as your soldiers and slaves."

"I-" the general gurgled pathetically. "I was assigned to command Hanzo's men in the Southern district, and launch an attack of Akatsuki's main holdings in he North. But... But I won't now! P-Please!"

"No, you won't." Obito said darkly, and several wooden roots emerged from Obito's arm and pierced through his victim's torso, who could do nothing but let out a blood-curdling scream.

* * *

/

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. Chapter Five: Meeting

**I do not own Naruto.**

**Hooray! Exams are finally over, now I can do this chapter!**

* * *

**===Chapter Five: Meeting===**

* * *

**/**

_Amegakure, Northern Hill_

Obito and Tobi wandered towards the North of the desolate country that endlessly rains. As they approached the entrance, they saw the sharp contrast between Watanabe's camp and Nagato's.

It seems after the incident with Hanzo, Nagato moved his Akatsuki troops away from the main village, where their main headquarters were. So he chose this deserted valley, with so poorly equipped and exhausted shinobi that they had barely enough strength to make camp. Bloody trails were present on the soggy mud, despite the torrential rain to wash them away.

Unlike the disciplined formation of the tents of Watanabe's, these tents were shamelessly and randomly pitched, totally in shambles. Food, clothing and proper equipment seemed to be scarce to them. A few men lay lifelessly in their makeshift bunkers, with one or two eventually succumbing to their condition. It seems that an epidemic is running rampant in the camp.

But like Watanabe's camp, Obito could sense that morale was low. Almost non-existent. That does not surprise him. With low amounts of equipment and supplies, and a disease amongst them, they have the right to feel the despair of this world.

The two of them continued searching the camp. Nagato should be somewhere in this pathetic excuse of a camp. Then, Obito caught a glimpse of a young woman with dark blue hair tied to a bun on one side with a paper flower, wearing robes of black with red clouds. It was the woman that was with Nagato and his other friend the first time he met them. He only knew that she was Nagato's 'guardian angel', a 'lapdog', and an obstacle to his influence. She was conversing with one of the shinobi that seemed to be in better condition than the rest that he saw earlier.

"Where is Nagato?" Obito asked as he approached the woman.

The woman's face immediately contorted into a glare. _So she still remembers who I am_. Obito thought to himself, with some amusement.

"I thought Yahiko told you never to approach us again." She snarled with menace that would have deterred any man.

But Obito was not those men. "And look what happened to him." Obito curtly replied.

It seemed that he had hit a soft spot, as he saw that the woman was tightly gripping a kunai made of what seemed like, paper? Suddenly, within a split second, she had the kunai close to his throat.

Obito was surprised on how fast she was able to catch him off guard. But he mostly blamed it on the wounds he received when he fought Minato and Yagura. He had not fully recovered from his wounds yet. If he wasn't injured at all, he would have intercepted the attack and cut her down. If Yagura didn't injure him, he would have still blocked the attack.

"Peace, Tobi." Obito beckoned to his friend as he stepped forward to intervene.

He then turned his attention back to the woman, raising his hands up as a gesture as a sign of peace. "Look. I have come to help your friend." He reasoned calmly.

"You can help by leaving us be." She glared, still holding the kunai to his throat.

"I am not your enemy. Just let me see Nagato, and you can do as you please, and I will leave you all be. I have some important information that needs to be reported to him." He reasoned, with his voice with more persuasion.

"Leave. Now." She gave Obito another glare before he relented. He turned and walked away, with Tobi following behind.

* * *

/

"So, what now?" Tobi asked as he caught up with his friend.

"That didn't go as I had expected. That woman's just too stubborn to listen to reason." Obito sighed. "But we're not done with this camp. If she's not letting us meet Nagato, then we'll wait for her to bring us to him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means that I want you to follow her, and she will locate us to where Nagato is. You will then spy on them, and tell me of any information. We need to do everything we can to force them to turn to me. As simple as that." Obito explained, as he ducked behind one of the tents, yanking Tobi along as they hid from sight.

Obito ducked his head out see if the woman was leaving, and true enough, she is. She was walking away from the man who she was conversing with just now, and heading towards the hill where a large tent could be seen. The hill towered over the rest of the camp.

"I will be waiting outside the camp, now go." Obito said to Tobi, who sank into the ground and vanished.

* * *

/

Two guards stood at the side of the tent. As they saw Konan approaching, they quickly shuffled away to let her in. A large sign attached to said 'NO TRESSPASSING'. Konan ripped the sign off and opened the tent.

Nagato was a shell of what he was, withered and frail. His body was emaciated to the point that his ribs could be seen. Large chakra stakes were embedded into his back and smaller ones into his joints. He sat on the stretcher, nearly lifeless. Next to him, his Deva Path stood motionlessly, wearing Akatsuki's robes black with red clouds.

From the ground below, Tobi's head emerged as he watched. No one had noticed him; the most skilled sensor could not sense his chakra.

"Nagato." Konan said as she extracted a sealed scroll from her pocket and held it out to him. "Our informants have intercepted this letter from one of Hanzo's messengers to his generals."

Feebly reaching out and took the scroll, Nagato ripped off the seal holding it and pulled it open with as much strength as he could. His purple-ringed eyes gazed over the contents of the scroll. It contained a mysterious-looking language that seemed unknown to him.

"It's encrypted." He said as he handed the scroll back to Konan, who examined the contents herself.

"It will take a few hours to decode its secrets." She said, rolling the scroll back up.

Walking out from the tent, she then handed the scroll to one of the guards. "Pass this scroll to our Cypher division and decrypt the contents of the scroll."

The guard took the scroll before walking off. Tobi, having al what he needed to know, disappeared into the ground unnoticed.

* * *

/

"Nagato," Konan said as she snapped the tent shut. "That masked man had come to us again."

The frail man widened his eyes in surprise. He had thought that the man would have given up since he did not return to the cave where they had first met. It had been two years since the concluding days of the Third Shinobi World War, two years since Yahiko died.

"What did he ask?" He questioned with a raspy voice.

"He asked…for where you are."

"And?" Nagato began to press his words.

Indignant, Konan finally responded. "I refused. I threatened him to leave us be."

Nagato's eyes darkened. "Why would you do that? Why would you threaten away our only possible ally?" His voice became much more menacing than before.

Konan hesitated to answer. She could feel the anger and frustration erupting from Nagato's frail body. She then replied, "I was doing that to protect you! That man is dangerous, he is only using you for his own gain!"

"Better for his gain to make a better world than that of nothing! You should have let me talk with him. We _can_ be allies!" Nagato hissed, yet his throat still felt hoarse.

"That is nothing of the sort! He doesn't care what happens to this world! All he wants is your power, to use you like a tool! Yahiko had warned you of that!" Konan barked back, with her anger rising as well.

Nagato's eyes hardened and turned colder. "What would you know?! What would you and Yahiko know!? Neither of you would understand!"

And that was the last straw. Konan gave a glare at Nagato, who glared right back, before she flung open the tent and stormed off. She was in a fury-her anger was plain to see in the color of her cheeks and her blazing amber eyes. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she stalked off.

It took a few seconds for Nagato to realize what he had just said. His mouth remained agape, eyes full of guilt at what he had just said. To dishonor his best friend with doubt and foolishness.

* * *

/

_Cypher Division Camp_

Chomei Hashirobei had just finished decoding the scroll, writing the decoded contents on another scroll. He sighed as he rolled up his work and laid it onto the table, next to the candle. _I need a drink. _He thought to himself, getting up from his seat and walked out from his tent. He was all alone.

It was already nighttime, he spent four hours decoding the contents. And it was not that easy too. Hanzo had been passing coded messages to his messengers to pass information that only his generals would know. But Chomei had found the secrets to his codes, and decrypting information such as this was less troublesome than the first time.

A middle aged man who had witnessed Hanzo's cruel regime, including the sacking of his family's home, Chomei decided to join the Amegakure's 'freedom-fighters'.

But he was not a fighter; rather, he was an expert in deciphering information. Information that is important to bring down the enemy, whether on their strengths or weaknesses. Their weapons or defenses, all of it is important.

"And what is this?" A voice called out from the darkness as a hand emerged to take the scroll.

Chomei spun around to see who had taken the scroll. He saw a man with a red flame-patterned mask holding the scroll in his hand. "How'd you get in there?" He demanded, taking out a kunai from his pouch. "That is top secret information, and you have no right to take it!"

"I have come to see what you have decoded. It's quite important for me to know as well." Obito Uchiha said, as his fingers began to tug at the scroll.

Chomei lunged forward and thrust his kunai at Obito. But Obito reacted faster. Much faster. He grabbed Chomei's wrist and pulled him downwards before slamming the wooden handle of the scroll onto his head. With a grunt, Chomei crumpled to the ground and lay motionless.

Unrolling the scroll, Obito read the decoded contents. "It seems that Watanabe was lying to me. Hanzo is not planning to attack this camp. Not yet, at least."

He then turned to the Chomei, dazed from the blow to his head, hoisting him up effortlessly with one hand. Opening his eyes, his Sharingan glowered in the night-light. "You are now under my genjutsu, so you will do as I say. Go to masters once you have recovered."

Chomei's eyes turned bloodshot, before his face became blank, mouth slightly agape from the genjutsu's effects.

"Oh yes," Obito continued. "My request is for your silence. No one, not even your masters, are to know of the contents of this scroll. All secrets are unveiled, and some of them die here. Understand?"

Chomei nodded mindlessly, before Obito let him go. "Good, you may leave now." Obito said. The decoder then walked out from the tent, taking the encrypted scroll as well.

Obito then turned to the candle that was on the table. Without hesitation, he held the decrypted scroll over the candle, as it suddenly burst into flames. Within a few seconds, the scroll, the result of hours of work, reduced to ashes in an instant.

* * *

/

"I was unable to decode the scroll, they are now transmitting to one another using a new type of encryption." Chomei explained to Konan, inside her tent. The candle light on her table flickered as the rain drummed onto the surface of the tent.

"How long will it take for you to try and break the encryption?" Konan asked.

She still remained rather agitated, especially after the argument with Nagato. _If he wants to crawl back to that bastard's feet, so be it. But I will do this on my own. _She thought darkly.

Chomei's reply broke her thoughts. "I roughly estimate about a day or two. If they are using new encryptions, we must try and find a way to decipher it. Without it, we have nothing."

"Alright," Konan nodded. "But do hurry up. We must not waste time. We a low on supplies, and I doubt we would be able to hold back Hanzo's forces for long."

Chomei nodded in reply and bowed before exiting the tent.

* * *

**End of Chapter Five.**


	6. Chapter Six: Supplies

**With the exams now over, I have much more free time to write these stories. Thus, I will update more frequently.**

* * *

**===Chapter Six: Supplies===**

* * *

**/**

"Well, Nagato. It has been a while." Obito Uchiha emerged from the darkness of Nagato's tent. "And I undoubtedly pity the state that you're in," he continued as he eyed the frail state that Nagato was in.

"You…" Nagato muttered feebly as he craned his neck to see his visitor. "What are you doing here, Madara?"

"Why, I have come to visit you, like I have promised. I _was_ disappointed that you were unable to meet me at where I promised, but seeing your current decision, I understand why." Obito said.

Nagato's gaze remained suspicious. "What purpose do you have for visiting me? I am in a civil war. I have no time for whatever it is you are planning."

"I _can_ help you." Obito said. "I heard that you and your friend had a rather big spat today, so she feels reluctant to help you, if not outright refusal. And you need someone to help you with your troops while you can recover."

"How did you know of this?" Nagato glared warily at Obito.

"I had my means." The Uchiha simply explained.

Nagato's firm gaze met into Obito's. After a few seconds, the frail man relented. "All right. I had some of my men to plan a raid on one of Hanzo's forts not far away from here. But we are too poorly equipped to take the supplies by force, so we need stealth to take the supplies. I intended for Konan to lead the raid, but she would not cooperate, giving today's…" He stopped in his words.

"Seems simple enough." Obito mused, with confidence in his voice. "Though you still must give me details of your intended raid on a well defended fort."

An orange haired man with piercings on his face suddenly crawled up from one of the stretchers. Obito could see that they were not piercings, rather they were chakra receivers. He recognized the man as Yahiko, the man who he had met along with Nagato.

_Nagato, you clever bastard. _He thought. Obito did not think that Nagato had now shown knowledge of Madara's chakra receivers to manipulate dead bodies. _Just how much does he know?_

The man then spoke in Yahiko's voice. "Every month, a cart is arranged to deliver weapons and supplies to the fort." He then took out a large piece of paper and laid it on the table.

It was a large map of the village, two feet by three feet, showing different terrain elevations. There was one large red dot north of the village, which Obito presumed, was the camp, and a smaller blue concentrated circle not far away.

Yahiko's body then pointed to a black line leading to the blue dot. "This is the route where the cart travels to deliver the goods. I need to not only steal from the cart, but to use it to infiltrate the fort, and steal all their supplies. I will task some of my men to aid you. Uniforms are also transported for delivery, so my men will use those to disguise themselves once they have infiltrated the fort."

"The leader's name is Ishiguro Hayato," he continued. "He leads a fort with the strength of over a hundred men. Ishiguro is also one of Hanzo's generals, much higher than that of Watanabe Kokei, who was tasked by Ishiguro to help recruit civilians as slaves."

"But according to my information, wasn't Watanabe one of Hanzo's higher ranking generals?" Obito asked disbelievingly.

Nagato wheezed. "He once was. But he was demoted in rank due to incompetence within the army. Ishiguro is his replacement now. Ishiguro's dangerous, and his death will prove to be boon for us. And Hanzo's days will be numbered."

"For revenge, is it?" Obito asked, walking around Nagato. "Your friend was under the delusion that we could bring peace in his own way. To understand one another. And how he was happy when Hanzo had proposed a truce with him, such naïveté, and it cost him his life."

"No. Hanzo was lying not just to him. He lied to all of us! Yahiko was not just to blame for what had happened. We were under that same ideals he had believed in." Nagato defended.

Obito scoffed. "Then, you are all wrong. This world is simply too consumed with war and hate to change. Peace that we have long sought never existed in the first place. It is bound by fate to collapse into chaos and discord."

"Then what _is_ our purpose then?" Nagato responded bitterly. "If fate simply leads our world into an eternal cycle of hate and war, what do we do to change it?"

"We don't change it." Obito sneered. "We create a new one."

He saw the look that Nagato had given him. With a sense of suppressed fascination and interest. The same feeling that he himself had felt when Madara explained to him the details of Project Tsuki No Mei. He knew what he had said is getting through.

* * *

/

Obito saw a convoy approaching the fort, a pair of horses pulling it along. The cart driver's shoulders were hunched, with a pipe in his mouth. He could have simply used his Kamui to transport everyone into the fort without getting detected, but he couldn't risk him or her having more knowledge of his abilities.

He then beckoned Nagato's men to follow him, and the reluctantly obliged. Though Nagato had given Obito the command of several of his men, his followers do not seem to trust this outsider like they did with their leaders. Their leaders inspired them, encouraged them, and saved them from perils. Not like this man who had no right to command them.

But they needed those supplies. And their leader Konan, for some reason, was unwilling to cooperate. Some guards nearby had overheard an argument between their leaders, something that made them at unease. If their own leaders were fighting amongst themselves, how would they win the civil war?

Without the notice of the cart driver, they all sneaked through the flaps of the convoy and inside. As the cart slowly approached the fort, an Ame shinobi walked out from the fort and held a hand, signaling the cart to stop.

"Halt! State your business!" He exclaimed.

"Delivery of supplies for your camp." The cart driver gruffly replied.

"What's in the cart? Give your full list." The guard responded, his voice showing some doubt.

The cart driver fumbled in his pocket and took out a scrap of paper. He then began reading out from the paper. "Alright…Two barrels of military rationing pills. Sixteen bottles of medicine. Sixty sets of shuriken. Ten sets of kunai. Eight pounds of beef. Twenty pounds of chicken. Twelve pounds of pork. Thirty eggs. Four pounds of cheese. Seven bottles of sake. Seven dozen sets of flak jackets and uniforms. A sewing kit for patching and four dozen blankets. That's all there is." He assured the guard.

The guard nodded before stepping out of the away, allowing the cart to enter. As the cart moved deep into the camp, Obito leapt out from the cart, dressed in Ame shinobi uniform, and blended into the bushes nearby.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Akatsuki soldiers have already dressed into Ame shinobi uniform. Soon, they had melted away into the night. One man had already inveigled himself with three Ame shinobi. Another two, one male and one female were walking casually past a stockade, presumably where the supplies were being kept, as a guard shifted in front of them to block their way.

Obito saw that the other guards were kept occupied by some of his men. Giving one of the others approaching the stockade a surreptitious signal, who then exchanged a quick word with his female partner as they came to the guard.

As the guard slowly approached them, the woman swiftly jabbed the guard in the jaw. The guard staggered back a few feet before collapsing to the ground, unconscious. She then felt the man's pockets and retrieved a key. Inserting the key into the lock, the woman opened the door and disappeared inside, while her partner kept watch. Other Akatsuki shinobi who were not preoccupied with providing distractions also entered the stockade.

Within a few seconds, Obito had seen them clear out the supplies from the stockade, before they silently loaded them into the cart, without the driver's presence, as he had left for a small meal nearby.

However, one of the sentries from above had already seen what was happening. "Hey! Identify yourselves! What is the meaning of this?!" He exclaimed as he prepared to sound the alarm.

Suddenly, Obito warped behind the sentry and with a clean strike from his katana, he was brought down. But he cursed himself, as it was too late; the sentry had already set off the alarm. Several guards had dashed from the battlements to attack the Akatsuki members.

But Obito had gotten there first. Taking out his second katana, the Uchiha thrusts his blade at the leading guard, who let out a blood-curdling scream before he fell to the ground. Obito quickly deflected an incoming attack from behind by a second guard. He whipped his blade across the man's feet, causing him to fall with a heavy thud, before Obito speared through his chest with his katana.

The Akatsuki members had also sprung into action. Taking out their weapons, ranging from kunai to swords, they overwhelmed the guards. Within minutes, all the guards were dead, scattered everywhere on the muddy ground, mixing the puddles with blood.

* * *

/

"What the hell is going on here?!" An elegant and sharply dressed man stormed out from one of the bunkers, shoving away a couple of guards. Ishiguro Hayato was around his mid-thirties, baby-faced with a reddish beard. "I had told that I needed some rest, but I am quickly disturbed by all this commotion! I demand an explanaton!"

As he walked to see the commotion from above, his face turned purple. He saw several dead bodies of his men, while others were scattering everywhere in complete pandemonium. And worse still, the stockade was open and empty. "How could this happen? My supplies all stolen just like that!"

He then spun to several of his men, who were quickly grabbing any weapons they could find. "Find those who look suspicious, and cut them down! Even if they're one of us, just kill them and find those supplies! Understood?!" He shrieked before retreating back into his bunker.

The entire fort was in complete chaos. The Akatsuki members moved amongst the swarm of shinobi, who began assaulting one another in confusion, unsure of who are the imposters, and who are their allies.

* * *

/

"Guards! Guards! GUARDS!" Ishiguro screamed as he staggered backwards.

"Your men can't save you." Obito said darkly, approaching his quarry with katanas swinging in deadly motion.

"Fire Release: Great Flaming Beast!" Ishiguro performed a handseal and breathed out a stream of flames, forming a large tiger, which exploded violently. Soon, the whole bunker was engulfed in flames, while Ishiguro had seized the opportunity.

"Damn you! Damn it all to hell! Stay away from me!" Ishiguro shrieked before be frantically plunged from his window, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

When Obito rushed to the window past the intense flames, he saw that Ishiguro did not die from the fall. Instead, he had grabbed on to the nearest ledge before dropping to the ground. Once he had landed, he made a desperate attempt to escape amidst the chaos.

But Obito had planned ahead. As Ishiguro neared the exit, to his absolute horror, his masked assailant was standing in front of him. Before he could react, Obito had speared Ishiguro with a large wooden appendage from his arm.

Ishiguro let out a gurgling sound before his impaled body slid off the wooden appendage and to the ground. Blood began flowing from his wounds, staining his gray flak jacket with bloody red.

* * *

**/**

**End of Chapter Six**

***Phew* That's the end of the sixth chapter. I will update around next week. As a bonus, I will place a database for our unfortunate man Ishiguro Hayato below.**

* * *

_**Ishiguro Hayato**_

_Born during Hanzo's regime during the Second Shinobi World War to a wealthy entrepreneur, Ishiguro began following Hanzo's rule, seeing it as a way to keep Amegakure stable._

_At age eighteen, he joined Hanzo's army. As he was taught in ninjutsu, his favored technique being Fire Release, Ishiguro quickly rose up in the ranks under the wing of one of Hanzo's generals, Watanabe Kokei._

_But Watanabe was caught embezzling some of Hanzo's war funds by Ishiguro, and this, along with long streak of failures, causes him to be demoted. Ishiguro, for his effort, was promoted to replace Watanabe. _


End file.
